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If my only complaint is that the place was cold, then I suggest you just dress warmly during the winter.
My BFF offered to take me out for my birthday and we decided on brunch. My first inclination was to go somewhere downtown, but my birthday fell on the same day as the California International Marathon, which reeks havoc on roadways all the way from Folsom Lake to the State Capitol. For us downtown, it's just another weekend day of detours due to races/runs, except that this one lasts for HOURS and messes up the entire Grid.
Since I wanted to take BFF to the GOOD: Street Food & Design for the first time, I figured we should head for Mama Kim's on Del Paso Blvd. We could conveniently take the freeway and avoid the traffic mess.
MK is just down the way from Enotria and in the same space by the departed Supper Club. The building is on the industrial side with high ceilings, bare brick walls, and exposed pipes - thus the chilly temperature on this sub-freezing December day.
We were greeted by the lovely sounds of live music. Phillip Rayburn, (Mama) Kim Scott's business partner, was singing accompanied by his backup trio. They are a fixture and feature of MK, playing both at dinner and brunch service. They are a polished and cohesive group, making it all the more enjoyable.
Service is friendly and attentive. We were quickly seated and given menus with a listing of dishes that makes it hard to choose. The servers here use tablets to take orders and to present the specials. This was the first time I've had a server present an image of the special on the tablet while she described it. Nice touch!
Even so, we opted for menu choices.
BFF enjoyed sipping on her sake Bloody Mary while I had a hot chocolate to warm up a bit. Eventually these two beautiful dishes came out...
Mine (pictured above) was the Poached Eggs with Duck Confit, Sweet Potato Hash and Feeding Crane Greens. Fabulous! And loaded with duck. There was no skimping here! The duck had been shredded to mix in with the hash vegetables. There was a smear of hot sauce on the side of the plate, which I found added a nice kick of spice so that I asked for a bit more. The braised kale was the perfect bit of bitter greens to compliment the hearty hash and eggs.
BFF was equally thrilled with her Smoked Pork with Creole Sauce, Sunnyside Eggs, Aged Cheddar Grits and Feeding Crane Greens. This was a dish that had interested me too, except I'm not a grits fan. Underneath her eggs she found a nice piece of boneless pork with a light smattering of smoky flavor. The Creole sauce was a chunky mixture of tomatoes and winter vegetables with a nice Southern tang. BFF was so happy with our dishes that she declared this her "new favorite brunch place" and "I can't wait to come try it for dinner!"
The sliders on the menu had also caught my eye and then they caught it again when I saw the physical manifestations appeared at the next table. They were so impressive that I had to rudely butt-in and ask if I could take a picture, since I knew I had to blog this wonderful breakfast.
Lamb Sliders with Creole Relish, White Cheddar, and Sweet Potato Chips
Salmon sliders
All in all it was a wonderful birthday brunch. Luckily I avoided the birthday song that another diner got. Oh, it was a lovely serenade by the talented Phil, but I just didn't want the attention.
This had actually been my second time brunching at Mama Kim's. I love the food truck food, the brunch, so it's really only a matter of time before I get around to dinner there. After such a fabulous brunch, it causes me to wonder - why am I taking so long?
